Omaha daily bee., 1887-09-08
Mr.. SNAPPER GARRISON.
The Lad Who Heads the List Of Winning
Jockeys fo- the Year.
A sKEToH OF HIS EARLY LIFE.
How He Came to be n Jockcy-His IS
Way OF Reducing Weight-Meth-
ods in the saddle--nis Winnings,
Including His Wire-
Horses lie Owns.

a sketch of Snapper Garrison, Americas
most famous jockey, will no doubt prove
interesting to a lalg number of readers.
The score between Garrison and Nc
Laughlin for first place now stond 60 in
favor of the former and 90 IN favor of the
latter. The interest in the contest has
become general in the sporting world
and will continue until the close of this
fall unless one or the other meets with
accident or gets commanding lead.
YOUNG GARRISON
is very much elated at the position he
has achieved, and it is now to be seen
that he has probably had this end in
view since he began riding in the spring
But it is only recently that the public has
had its interest excited. He is very mod
est in expression, however. and while
admitting his feeling of pride says;
"McLaughlin is n great rider, and hard
one to beat He has had some unfortun-
ate mounts lately, but things may change
and he may again go to the front. III l
can do il by hard work am going to
stay where | am. There is n perfectly
friendly feeling between us, but each is
trying to beat the other all he knows
now anu Dy any lulr means.
Wheu it is remembered thatit was only
three years ago that Garrison engaged
with Harry Ellsworth and went TO New
Orleans to ride for SI5 a month, and
when Mclaughlin greater experience
is considered, il can be seen what q phe-
nomenal youngster the former Is.
Edward II. Garriso was born in New
Haven in 1868. He was ten years old
when he entered the Susquehanna Valley
80 ia h,N, In cd 70 (
county, New York, and died there. In
this institution he is still remembered as
n bright and amiabe lad. His three
years in the home are marked by rec
ord that gave no hint of celebrity in con
nection with horses. But Superintend-
ent La Monte was firm believer in the
expectation that Garrison would one day
become famous. 1t was as n vocalist
that this worthy man believed the young
ster was destined to shine. The boys of
the home were organized into n concert
troupe, and made appearances in the
neighboring towns tina, were great events
in the rural society. And the excellence
OF young Garrison's voice coupled with
his nerve and utter Ignorance of any
thing approaching stage fright, was what
made his fellow performers and the audi
cnces alike believe that his career was
beng indicated by the successes he made
on the platform. They were so far wrong
that Garrison has never sung in public to
any extent since then. But within few
weeks an echo of this belief appeared in
Binghamton papers's notice OF the
Jockeys life. which ended: 'He might
have been brilliant singer had not fate
made HIM jockey"
Garrisons three years in the Home
We're followed by his return to his mother,
who had moved back TO New Haven.
There he went to work in IL box factory,
and the fact that his health failed was
probably all that interiered with his de.
velOping into II mechanic instead OF
either q singer or Jockey. But the hand
of fate was IN it, and his health resulted
IN his being sent to live with his uncle,
Father Bill DAILY in Hartford, where the
old man then had stable and some fine
horses There the lads natural bent was
struck, and the fact soon become evident.
He picked up Il knowledge of horses that
showed the excellence of Dalys teaching,
and became an expert Jockey. His first
race was ridden on one 81 the horses of
| this stable, Belle of the North, at sixty
eight pounds, catch weights, IN 1882.
| Soon after that he rode winner, Il horse
called Monk. 1t was at this race that he
was called from the dressing room by
| Tom Morse, otherwise known as Tom
Dozzle," who also worked for DAILY.
Come. you,n shouted he, "eet on this
whatever your name is" and then turn
ing to DAILY. he said: You ought to call
| that youngster Jack snapper" The fact
that he won the race made young Garri-
son believe in
THE LUCK OF THE NAME,
| and he was called Jack snapper after
| that until long use curtaI!ed it to Snap
| per. Then, when the boards containing
| his name were raised to view on so many
race tracks and became known to so
| many thousands of race-gocrs, it settled
| down to Snapper Garrison" There it
seems likely to stay for genera! use, for
he still believes IN the luck of it.
Jockeys, like actors, are great bcliev.
| ers IN luck, and Garrison is one of them
in this as in everything else. He cannot
be got to talk about his hoodoos. how
| ever, and the only other direction his
superstition is known publicly to take is
| his equally firm belief III the luck of the
colors, blue cap and cherry jacket, under
which he has ridden so many of Browns
horses. They are the colors of S. S.
| Browns Pittsburg stable, but Garrison
his own horses since he began to race
horses of his own this season. For this
| boy, who engaged to ride for S15 month
three years ago. has ridden at Il
SALARY OF $40, 600 THIS YEAR,
and made great deal of money besides.
| l he $lO,OlO simply retains MN IOr tne
| Brown stable, and in the races he is not
wanted 10 ride for them he is free to ride
for some one else. 1t is $40 IL mount
nominally and $25 win for these outside
engagements, but many a dollar more
than this comes to a jockey like CARR
son. " hen he has won n race that has
brought in good pot of money to a
good owner 800, 5000 $500, and once or
twice as high as 81 900 has been handed
to him for his two minutes of work. He
has engaged for the next season with the
1. B, lIaggin stable NJ $4,000, and that.
with outside work and little luck with
his own horses, will send him away up
on income. This season he is believed TO
stand ahead at present about
$50, 900 net Last year he made some
big engagements, receiving 81 900 and
expenses for gong to Louisville to ride
jim Gray for j. III. Fenton, and winning
the champion stallion stakes
The Snapper is dark-comp'eXioned
youth. of that peculiar dark that freckles
little, with sharp, dark eyes, black
hair, and an incipient moustache of the
same color. He IS five feet high and his
weight varies from 1870 or l3j pounds in
the winter to about 10S when he is ready
for business. His method of reduction is
to walk eight or ten miles a day in three